    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [October 6, 2004]
    [Pages 2372-2379]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
    October 6, 2004

        The President. Thank you all. Thank you all very much. Thank you
    all. Thank you all for coming. Please be seated. Thank you all. Thank
    you. Please be seated. Gosh, thanks for such a great welcome. I
    appreciate it. It's great to be in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It's such
    an honor to be back here. I'm glad to be in a part of the world where
    people work hard, they love their families. Good to be in a part of the
    world where people like to hunt and fish.
        My regret is that Laura is not with me. She
    is----
        Audience members. Aw-w-w!
        The President. I know it. [Laughter] That's generally the reaction.
    [Laughter] Kind of like, ``Why didn't you stay home and send
    Laura.'' [Laughter] You're not going to believe
    this; it's a true story--or kind of true. [Laughter] I said, ``Will you
    marry me?'' She said, ``Fine, just so long as I never have to give a
    speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Okay, you got a deal.'' [Laughter]
    Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that promise. Laura--when Laura
    speaks, people see a compassionate, decent, strong First Lady.
        I had my morning briefing today with someone you're familiar with.
    That would be your former Governor Tom Ridge. So
    Laura sends her best, as does Tom Ridge.
        Today I traveled with Don Sherwood. As we
    say in Crawford, he's a good one. He's a great Member of the United
    States House of Representatives. I'm proud to work with him. He cares
    deeply about the people of this important part of the State of
    Pennsylvania. He is a fine Representative who brings integrity to the
    office. I appreciate your service.
        I want to thank all the State and local officials who are here. I
    want to thank the candidates who are here. I want to thank the
    grassroots activists who are here. I want to thank you for what you're
    going to do, which is to put up the signs, make the phone calls, turn
    out the vote. With your help, there's no doubt in my mind we'll carry
    Pennsylvania.
        I am sure many of you stayed up to watch the Vice Presidential
    debate last night. America saw two very different visions of our country
    and two different hairdos. [Laughter] I didn't pick my Vice

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    President for his hairdo. I picked him for his
    judgment, his experience--a great Vice President. I'm proud to be
    running with him.
        In less than a month, you'll have a chance to vote for Dick
    Cheney and me. Think about that--less than a
    month. I'm looking forward to coming down the stretch with a positive,
    strong message. As your President, I've worked to make America a more
    hopeful and more secure place. I've led our country with principle and
    resolve. And that's how I'll lead our Nation for 4 more years.
        When I took office in 2001, the bubble of the nineties had burst.
    Our economy was headed into a recession. And because of the attacks of
    September the 11th, nearly a million jobs were lost in 3 months. It was
    a dangerous time for our economy. People were warning of potential
    deflation and depression. But I acted.
        To stimulate the economy, I called on Congress to pass historic tax
    relief, which it did, without my opponent's
    yes vote. The tax relief was the fuel that got our economy growing
    again. Thanks to the efforts of our citizens and the right policies in
    the right place at the right time, we put the recession behind us and
    America is creating jobs once again.
        We have built a broad and solid record of accomplishment. In the
    past year, the United States of America has added about 1.7 million new
    jobs, more than Germany, Japan, Great Britain, Canada, and France
    combined. Real tax--real after-tax income--that's the money in your
    pocket to spend on groceries or house payments and rent--is up more than
    10 percent since I took office. Homeownership is at an alltime high in
    America. Farm income is up. Small businesses are flourishing. The
    entrepreneurial spirit is strong in the United States of America.
        Ours is a record of accomplishment. Thanks to reforms in education,
    math and reading scores are increasing in our public schools. Ten
    million students will get record levels of grants and loans to help with
    college. Low-income seniors are getting $600 extra to help pay for
    medicine this year, in their drug discount cards. And soon Medicare will
    offer prescription drug coverage to every senior in America. We have
    made America a stronger, more hopeful country, and we're just getting
    started.
        Listen, I like to travel our country because I have a chance to talk
    to our fellow citizens. I understand the challenges facing our Nation.
    People are living and working in a time of change. Workers switch jobs
    more than they used to, which means they often need new skills and
    benefits they can take with them from job to job. We're in a changing
    world, yet the systems of Government haven't changed. I'm running for 4
    more years to change the systems of Government so people can better
    realize the great dreams of America.
        Making sure people realize those dreams, it's essential that our
    education systems work. We're going to raise the standards and
    expectations in every high school. We'll invest in our Nation's fine
    community colleges so workers can be prepared to fill the jobs of the
    21st century. We're going to expand health savings accounts so people
    can pay health expenses with tax-free money and keep the savings if they
    change jobs. We're going to improve Social Security to allow younger
    workers to own a piece of their own retirement, a nest egg that the
    Washington politicians can never take away.
        To keep this economy strong and competitive, we must make sure
    America is the best place in the world to start a business and to do
    business. To make sure America is the best place in the world to start a
    business, our taxes must be low. Congress must make the tax relief we
    passed permanent. To keep jobs here, there need to be less regulations
    on our small businesses. To keep jobs here, we must pass an energy plan
    that makes us less dependent on foreign sources of energy. To make sure
    jobs

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    exist here in America, we got to do something about these junk and
    frivolous lawsuits. Trial lawyers shouldn't be getting rich at the
    expense of our entrepreneurs and our doctors.
        My opponent and I have a very different
    view on how to grow our economy. Let me start with taxes. I have a
    record of reducing them. He has a record of raising them.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He voted in the United
    States Senate to increase taxes 98 times.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. That's a lot. [Laughter] He
    voted for higher taxes on Social Security benefits.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. In 1997, he voted for the
    formula that helped cause the increase in Medicare premiums.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. My opponent was against all
    of our middle class tax relief. He voted instead to squeeze another
    $2,000 per year from the average middle class family.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Now the Senator is
    proposing higher taxes on more than 900,000 small-business owners. My
    opponent is one of the few candidates in history to campaign on a pledge
    to raise taxes. [Laughter] And that's the kind of promise a politician
    from Massachusetts usually keeps. [Laughter]
        He says the tax increase is only for the
    rich. You've heard that kind of rhetoric before. The rich hire lawyers
    and accountants for a reason--to stick you with the tab. The Senator is
    not going to tax you because we're going to win in November.
        The Senator and I have different views on
    another threat to our economy, frivolous lawsuits. He's been a part of
    the Washington crowd that has obstructed legal reform again and again.
    Meanwhile, all across America, unfair lawsuits are hurting small
    businesses. Lawsuits are driving up health care costs. Lawsuits are
    threatening ob-gyns all across our country. Lawsuits are driving good
    doctors out of practice. We need a President who will stand up to the
    trial lawyers in Washington, not put one on the
    ticket.
        The Senator and I have very different
    views on health care. I've got a specific plan to help Americans find
    health care that's available and affordable, lawsuit reform, association
    health care plans to help our small businesses, health savings accounts,
    community health centers to help the poor, expanding health care for
    low-income children, using technology to drive down the cost of health
    care.
        He has a different vision. Under his
    health plan, 8 million Americans would lose the private insurance they
    get at work, and most would end up on a Government program. Under his
    plan, 8 out of 10 people who get new insurance will get it from the
    Federal Government. My opponent's proposal would be the largest
    expansion of Government-run health care ever. And when Government pays
    the bills, Government makes the rules. His plan would put bureaucrats in
    charge of dictating coverage, which could ration care and limit your
    choice of doctor. Senator Kerry's proposal would put us on the path to
    ``Clinton-care.''
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I'll make sure doctors and patients are in charge of
    the decisions in America's health care.
        The Senator and I have different views on
    Government spending. Over the years, he's voted 274 times to break the
    Federal budget limits. And in this campaign, Senator Kerry has announced
    more than $2 trillion of new spending. And that's a lot of money, even
    for a Senator from Massachusetts. [Laughter]
        During his 20 years as a Senator, my opponent hasn't had many accomplishments. Of the hundreds of bills
    he submitted, only five became law. One of them was ceremonial. But to
    be fair, he's earned a special distinction in Congress. The nonpartisan
    National Journal analyzed his

    [[Page 2375]]

    record and named John Kerry the most liberal Member of the United States
    Senate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. And when the competition includes Ted Kennedy--[laughter]--that's really saying something.
    [Laughter] I'm telling you, I know that bunch. [Laughter] It wasn't easy
    for my opponent to become the single most
    liberal Member of the Senate. You might even say, it was hard work.
    [Laughter] But he earned that title by voting for higher taxes, more
    regulation, more junk lawsuits, and more Government control over your
    life.
        And that sets up a real difference in this campaign. My
    opponent is a tax-and-spend liberal. I'm a
    compassionate conservative. My opponent wants to empower Government. I
    want to use Government to empower people. My opponent seems to think all
    the wisdom is found in Washington, DC. I trust the wisdom of the
    American people.
        Our differences are also clear on issues of national security. When
    I took office in 2001, threats to America had been gathering for years.
    Then on one terrible morning, the terrorists took more lives than
    America lost at Pearl Harbor. Since that day, we have waged a global
    campaign to protect the American people and bring our enemies to
    account. Our Government has trained over a half a million first-
    responders. We tripled spending on homeland security. Law enforcement
    and intelligence have better tools to stop terrorists, thanks to the
    PATRIOT Act, which Senator Kerry voted for but
    now wants to weaken.
        The Taliban regime that sheltered Al Qaida is gone from power, and
    the people of Afghanistan will vote in free elections this very week. A
    black market network that provided weapons materials to North Korea and
    Libya and Iran is now out of business. Libya, itself, has given up its
    weapons of mass destruction programs. We convinced Pakistan and Saudi
    Arabia to join the fight against the terrorists. And more than three-
    quarters of Al Qaida's key members and associates have been brought to
    justice.
        After September the 11th, America had to assess every potential
    threat in a new light. Our Nation awakened to an even greater danger,
    the prospect that terrorists who killed thousands with hijacked
    airplanes would kill many more with weapons of mass murder. We had to
    take a hard look at everyplace where terrorists might get those weapons,
    and one regime stood out, the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.
        We knew the dictator had a history of
    using weapons of mass destruction, a long record of aggression, and
    hatred for America. He was listed by Republican and Democrat
    administrations as a state sponsor of terrorists. There was a risk, a
    real risk, that Saddam Hussein would pass weapons or materials or
    information to terrorist networks. In the world after September the
    11th, that was a risk we could not afford to take.
        After 12 years of United Nations Security Council resolutions, we
    gave him a final chance to come clean and
    listen to the demands of the free world. When he chose defiance and war,
    our coalition enforced the just demands of the world. And the world is
    better off with Saddam Hussein sitting in a prison cell.
        We've had many victories in the war on terror, and that war goes on.
    Our Nation is safer but not yet safe. To win this war, we must fight on
    every front. We'll stay on the offensive against terrorist networks,
    striking them before they come to America to hurt us. We'll confront
    governments that support terrorists and could arm them, because they're
    equally guilty of terrorist murder.
        And our long-term victory requires confronting the ideology of hate
    with freedom and hope. Our victory requires changing the conditions that
    produce radicalism and suicide bombers and finding new democratic allies
    in a troubled part of the region. America is always more secure when
    freedom is on the march. And freedom is on

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    the march in Afghanistan and Iraq and elsewhere. There will be good
    days, and there will be bad days in the war on terror. But every day we
    will show our resolve, and we will do our duty. This Nation is
    determined. We will stay in the fight until the fight is won.
        My opponent agrees with all this, except
    when he doesn't. [Laughter] Last week in our debate, he once again came
    down firmly on every side of the Iraq war. [Laughter] He stated that
    Saddam Hussein was a threat and that America
    had no business removing that threat. Senator Kerry said our soldiers
    and marines are not fighting for a mistake but also called the
    liberation of Iraq a ``colossal error.'' He said we need to do more to
    train Iraqis, but he also said we shouldn't be spending so much money
    over there. He said he wants to hold a summit meeting so he can invite
    other countries to join what he calls ``the wrong war in the wrong place
    at the wrong time.'' [Laughter] He said terrorists are pouring across
    the Iraqi border but also said that fighting those terrorists is a
    ``diversion'' from the war on terror. [Laughter] You hear all that, and
    you can understand why somebody would make a face. [Laughter]
        My opponent's endless back-and-forth on
    Iraq is part of a larger misunderstanding. In the war on terror, Senator
    Kerry is proposing policies and doctrines that would weaken America and
    make the world more dangerous. Senator Kerry approaches the world with a
    September the 10th mindset. He declared in his convention speech that
    any attack will be met with a swift and certain response. That was the
    mindset of the 1990s, while Al Qaida was planning the attacks on
    America. After September the 11th, our object in the war on terror is
    not to wait for the next attack and respond but to prevent attacks by
    taking the fight to the enemy.
        In our debate, Senator Kerry said that
    removing Saddam Hussein was a mistake because
    the threat was not imminent. The problem with this approach is obvious.
    If America waits until a threat is at our doorstep, it might be too late
    to save lives. Tyrants and terrorists will not give us polite notice
    before they launch an attack on our country. I refuse to stand by while
    dangers gather. In the world after September the 11th, the path to
    safety is the path of action. And I will continue to defend the people
    of the United States of America. [Applause] Thank you all. Thank you
    all.
        My opponent has also announced the Kerry
    doctrine, declaring that American actions in the war on terror must pass
    a ``global test.''
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Under this test, America would not be able to act
    quickly against threats, because we'd be sitting around waiting for our
    grade from other nations and other leaders. [Laughter]
        I have a different view. America will always work with allies for
    security and peace. But the President's job is not to pass a ``global
    test.'' The President's job is to protect the American people.
    [Applause] Thank you all.
        When my opponent first ran for Congress,
    he argued that American troops should be deployed only at the directive
    of the United Nations.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Now, he's changed his mind.
    [Laughter] No, he has, in all fairness. But it is a window into his
    thinking. Over the years, Senator Kerry has looked for every excuse to
    constrain America's action in the world. These days he praises America's
    broad coalition in the Persian Gulf war. But in 1991, he criticized
    those coalition members as, quote, ``shadow battlefield allies who
    barely carry a burden.'' Sounds familiar. At that time, he voted against
    the war. If that coalition didn't pass his ``global test,'' clearly,
    nothing will. [Laughter] This mindset would paralyze America in a
    dangerous world. I'll never hand over America's security decisions to
    foreign leaders

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    and international bodies that do not have America's interests at heart.
        My opponent's doctrine has other
    consequences, especially for our men and women in uniform. My opponent
    supports the International Criminal Court, which would allow
    unaccountable foreign prosecutors and judges to put American soldiers on
    trial.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. That would be a legal nightmare for our troops. My
    fellow citizens, as long as I'm your President, Americans in uniform
    will answer to the officers and laws of the United States, not to the
    International Criminal Court in The Hague.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. The Senator speaks often
    about his plan to strengthen America's alliances, but he's got an odd
    way of doing it. In the middle of the war, he's chosen to insult
    America's fighting allies by calling them ``window dressing'' and the
    ``coalition of the coerced and the bribed.'' The Italians who died in
    Nasiriyah were not window dressing. They were heroes in the war on
    terror. The British and the Poles at the head of the multinational
    divisions in Iraq were not coerced or bribed. They have fought and some
    have died in the cause of freedom. These good allies and dozens of
    others deserve the respect of all Americans, not the scorn of a
    politician.
        Instead, the Senator would have America
    bend over backwards to satisfy a handful of governments with agendas
    different from our own. This is my opponent's alliance-building
    strategy: Brush off your best friends; fawn over your critics. And that
    is no way to gain the respect of the world.
        My opponent says he has a plan for Iraq.
    Parts of it should sound pretty familiar. It's already known as the Bush
    plan. [Laughter] Senator Kerry suggests we train Iraqi troops, which
    we've been doing for months. Just this week, Iraqi forces backed by
    coalition troops fought bravely to take the city of Samarra from the
    terrorists and Ba'athists and insurgents. Senator Kerry is proposing
    that we have--that Iraq have elections. [Laughter] Those elections are
    already scheduled for January. [Laughter] He wants the U.N. to be
    involved in those elections. Well, the U.N. is already there.
        There was one element of the Senator Kerry's plan--it's a new element. He's talked about artificial
    timetables to pull our troops out of Iraq. He sent the signal that
    America's overriding goal in Iraq would be to leave, even if the job
    isn't done. That may satisfy his political needs, but it complicates the
    essential work we're doing in Iraq. The Iraqi people need to know that
    America will not cut and run when their freedom is at stake. Our
    soldiers and marines need to know that America will honor their service
    and sacrifice by completing the mission. And our enemies in Iraq need to
    know that they can never out last the will of America.
        Senator Kerry assures us that he's the one
    to win a war he calls a ``mistake,'' an ``error,'' and a ``diversion.''
    But you can't win a war you don't believe in fighting. On Iraq, Senator
    Kerry has a strategy of retreat; I have a strategy of victory. We've
    returned sovereignty to the Iraqi people ahead of schedule. We've
    trained about 100,000 Iraqi soldiers, police officers, and other
    security personnel, and that total will rise to 125,000 by year-end.
    We've already allocated more than $7 billion for reconstruction efforts,
    so more Iraqis can see the benefits of freedom. We're working with a
    coalition of some 30 nations to provide security. Other nations are
    helping with debt relief and reconstruction aid for Iraqis. And although
    the terrorists will try to stop them, Iraq will hold free elections in
    January because the Iraqi people want and deserve to govern themselves.
        I understand some Americans have strong concerns about our role in
    Iraq. I respect the fact that they take this issue seriously, because it
    is a serious matter.

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    I assure them we're in Iraq because I deeply believe it is necessary and
    right and critical to the outcome of the war on terror. If another
    terror regime were allowed to emerge in Iraq, the terrorists would find
    a home, a source of funding, vital support. They would correctly
    conclude that free nations do not have the will to defend themselves. If
    Iraq becomes a free society at the heart of the Middle East, an ally in
    the war on terror, a model of hopeful reform in a region that needs
    hopeful reform, the terrorists will suffer a crushing defeat, and every
    free nation will be more secure.
        This is why Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman calls Iraq a ``crucial battle in the global war on
    terrorism.'' This is why Prime Minister Tony Blair has called the struggle in Iraq ``the crucible in which
    the future of global terrorism will be determined.'' This is why the
    terrorists are fighting with desperate cruelty. They know their own
    future is at stake. Iraq is no diversion. It is the place where
    civilization is taking a decisive stand against chaos and terror, and we
    must not waver.
        Unfortunately, my opponent has been known
    to waver. [Laughter] His well-chosen words and rationalizations cannot
    explain why he voted to authorize force against Saddam Hussein and then voted against money for bullets and vehicles
    and body armor for the troops on the ground. He tried to clear it all up
    by saying, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted
    against it.'' Now he says he made a mistake in how he talked about the
    war. The mistake here is not what Senator Kerry said. The mistake is
    what he did in voting against funding for Americans in combat. That is
    the kind of wavering a nation at war can never afford.
        As a candidate, my opponent promises to
    defend America. The problem is as a Senator for two decades, he has
    built a record of weakness. The record shows he twice led efforts to gut
    our intelligence service budgets. The record shows he voted against many
    of the weapons that won the cold war and are vital to current military
    operations. And the record shows he has voted more than 50 times against
    missile defense systems that would help protect us from the threats of a
    dangerous world.
        I have a record in office as well, and all Americans have seen that
    record. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
    Towers. It's a day I will never forget. There were workers in hardhats
    yelling at me, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember trying to console
    people coming out of that rubble, and a guy grabbed me by the arm, and
    he looked me in the eye and said, ``Do not let me down.'' These men and
    women--the men and women there took it personally. You took it
    personally. I took it personally. I have a responsibility that goes on.
    I wake up every morning thinking about how to make our country more
    secure. I have acted again and again to protect our people. I will never
    relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Twenty-seven days from today, Americans will make a
    critical choice. My opponent offers an agenda
    that is stuck in the thinking and the policies of the past. On national
    security, he offers the defensive mindset of September the 10th, a
    ``global test'' to replace American leadership, a strategy of retreat in
    Iraq, and a 20-year history of weakness in the United States Senate.
    Here at home, he offers a record and an agenda of more taxes and more
    spending and more litigation and more Government control over your life.
        The race for President is a contest for the future, and you know
    where I stand. I'm running for President to keep this Nation on the
    offensive against terrorists, with the goal of total victory. I'm
    running for President to keep this economy moving so every worker has a
    good job and quality health care and a secure retirement. I'm running
    for President to make our Nation

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    a more compassionate society, where no one is left out, where every life
    matters.
        I have a hopeful vision. I believe this young century will be
    liberty's century. We'll promote liberty abroad, protect our country,
    and build a better world beyond the war on terror. We'll encourage
    liberty at home to spread the prosperity and opportunity of America to
    every corner of our country. I will carry this message to my fellow
    citizens in the closing days of this campaign, and with your help, we
    will win a great victory on November the 2d.
        God bless. God bless our great country. Thank you all. Thanks for
    coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:13 a.m. at the Kirby Center for the
    Performing Arts. In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Tony
    Blair of the United Kingdom.